How to Calm Your Anxiety, From a Neuroscientist | The Way We Work, a TED series

You know when you get that ambiguous email from your boss

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

可知道當老闆寄了 一封很模糊的信給你，

and you start to feel sweaty palms

你開始感覺手心冒汗，

and that empty, freaked out sensation in your stomach?

肚子裡有種空洞、嚇壞的感覺？

Welcome back, anxiety.

歡迎回來，焦慮。

Most of us think of anxiety as a bad thing,

我們大部分人認為焦慮是不好的，

something to be avoided at all costs.

要不計代價去避開它。

But what if it weren't?

但，如果不是這樣呢？

What if you could take all of that energy racing around your brain and your body

如果你可以把你焦慮時 腦中和體內湧出的能量

and transform it into something helpful?

轉變成一股助力呢？

[The Way We Work]

〔我們的工作之道〕

Global anxiety levels,

全球焦慮水平，

both the clinical kind and what I call the everyday kind,

包括臨床的焦慮 和我所謂的日常焦慮，

have increased tremendously in recent years.

近年來大大增加。

And many of us are noticing this at work.

我們許多人在工作上 會注意到這個現象。

We might think of anxiety as something

我們可能會認為焦慮是

that we'd rather just leave on the side of the road if we could.

如果可以就應該要 丟棄在路邊的東西。

But anxiety is an important tool that arose during our evolution

但焦慮是重要的工具，

是在我們的演化過程中形成的，

that we use to avoid danger.

可以用來避兇。

It's essential for our survival.

它對我們的生存很重要。

So how come we don't even feel vaguely protected by it?

那為什麼我們絲毫沒有 受它保護的感覺呢？

It's because the volume of our individual and collective anxiety levels

那是因為我們個人和集體 焦慮水平的音量

has been turned way up too high,

已經被調得太高了，

and too much of even a potentially good thing like anxiety is bad.

高到即使可能是好的事物，

比如焦慮，也變成壞的了。

So I would like to share two powerful, science-based tools

所以我想要分享兩種強大的 工具，都有科學的基礎，

for turning down the volume on our anxiety

可以用來降低我們焦慮的音量，

and helping us get anxiety back to its helpful, protective state.

並協助我們將焦慮重新回復到

有助益也有保護作用的狀態。

And both of these tools begin by connecting with our bodies.

這兩種工具的第一步

都和我們的身體連結。

Tool number one is breath work.

第一種工具是呼吸練習。

It's just simple, deep breathing.

就是簡單的深呼吸。

Slowly inhale and exhale.

緩慢地吸氣及吐氣。

This can be one of the most immediate ways to calm anxiety,

它可能是能最快速 平撫焦慮的工具之一。

because deep breath directly activates

因為深呼吸會直接啟動

the natural de-stressing part of our nervous systems

我們神經系統中本來就 負責減壓的那一部分，

called the parasympathetic nervous system.

稱為副交感神經系統。

I recommend a boxed breathing approach,

我推薦一種盒式呼吸法，

which is: inhale deeply on four counts,

做法是：

深呼吸數到四，

hold at the top for four counts,

維持吸滿氣的狀態數到四，

exhale deeply on four counts

深吐氣數到四，

and hold at the bottom for four counts.

維持吐光氣的狀態數到四。

You can even do this in the middle of any anxiety-provoking conversation,

在任何會激起焦慮的談話 過程中你都可以這樣呼吸，

and no one will even know.

沒有人會發現。

Lots of people,

很多人，從古時的僧侶 到現代的冥想者，

from ancient monks to modern meditators,

have figured this tool out and use it all the time.

都想出了這一招， 且時時刻刻在運用。

Tool number two: moving your body.

第二種工具：動一動你的身體。

This one also has immediate positive effects on your mood state,

這一招也能立即對你的 心情狀態產生正面的效應，

but for a different reason.

但原理不同。

Every time you move your body,

每當你動一動你的身體，

you're releasing a whole bunch of beneficial neurochemicals

你腦中就會釋放出一大堆 有益的神經化學物質。

in your brain.

These neurochemicals include dopamine,

這些神經化學物質包括多巴胺，

serotonin, noradrenaline and endorphins,

血清素、去甲腎上腺素，和腦內啡，

mood and reward-boosting neurochemicals

都是能提升心情 和獎勵的神經化學物質。

that work to both increase positive mood states

功能除了增加正面的心情狀態之外，

and decrease negative ones.

還能減少負面的心情狀態。

I like to say that every single time you move your body,

我想說， 每當你動一動你的身體，

it's like giving yourself a wonderful bubble bath of neurochemicals

就像是給你的大腦洗個美好的 神經化學物質泡泡浴。

for your brain.

So when your boss's email comes in and your heart starts to race,

所以當你收到老闆的信，

你的心跳開始加速，

what exactly can you do?

你能怎麼做？

如果你在辦公室裡，

If you're in an office,

try taking a short walk around the block

試著沿著隔間走一走，

or even to the supply closet for some sticky notes.

或甚至走到物品儲藏櫥櫃 去拿些便利貼。

If you're working from home,

如果你在家工作，

put on two of your favorite songs

播兩首你喜歡的歌曲，

and dance around the living room like no one is watching.

在客廳大方地跳舞， 彷彿沒有人在看一樣。

Studies have shown that all it takes is ten minutes of walking

研究顯示，只要走上十分鐘，

to get those mood-boosting effects.

就能得到提升心情的效應。

But be creative with your movement session.

但活動可以設計得有創意些，

Whether that's a quick session of power vacuuming a la Mrs. Doubtfire

不論是因為截止日期而飽受 壓力時，學《窈窕奶爸》的

when you’re stressed about a deadline

道菲爾太太快速用吸塵器做清潔，

or doing a set of jumping jacks

或者做一組開合跳，

or getting off the elevator one floor early

或者提早一層樓下電梯，

to do a power walk up that last flight of stairs

用快步的方式走完最後一層樓梯，

before an important meeting.

再去參加重要的會議。

All of these possibilities will all help your anxiety levels come down.

所有這些可能的做法都能 協助降低焦慮水平。

In fact, I tested this effect on my own NYU students.

事實上，我用我在紐約大學的 學生測試了這個效應，

First, I had them take an anxiety assessment

首先，我先讓他們做焦慮評估，

before leading them in a movement session

接著才引導他們進行一段活動，

that included movements from kickbox and dance

活動要做的動作來自 綜合格鬥、舞蹈、瑜伽，

and yoga and martial arts

及武術，

together with positive spoken affirmations.

同時搭配正面的口頭肯定。

Then I had them retake that same anxiety assessment again.

接著我讓他們再做一次 同樣的焦慮評估。

What happened?

結果如何？

做完活動之後，

After our movement session,

their anxiety scores had decreased to normal levels.

他們的焦慮分數下降到正常水平。

Now that's powerful, real-world example that you can use in your life today.

那是很強大的現實實例，

今天你就能運用到你的生活上。

So make sure to incorporate these bursts of activity in your day,

所以務必把這些短暫的活動 整合到你的一天當中，

and try one out next time you're feeling stress.

下次你感到壓力時 就試著做其中一種。

It can really make your anxiety feel less all-consuming.

這樣做真的能讓你不再 那麼覺得思緒被焦慮佔滿。

Once you connect with your body

一旦你和你的身體連結

and turn the volume down on your anxiety,

並調降了你焦慮的音量，

two important things will happen.

就會發生兩件重要的事。

First, when that email comes in,

首先，你收到信時，

you'll be in a better position to evaluate

你會更能夠去評估

what about it makes you anxious.

它為什麼會讓你焦慮。

Is it that you've taken on too much

是你承擔的事情太多了嗎？

or that you feel insecure about a particular skill set?

或者你對某種特定的技能感到不安？

In other words,

換言之，

you'll be able to use this emotion, anxiety,

你可以用這種情緒，即焦慮，

for exactly what it was evolved to do:

來達成它在演化上的目的：

warn you about potential dangers so you can become aware of them

警告你潛在的危險，

讓你可以意識到它們，

and find ways to effectively and creatively address them

並想辦法用有效、 有創意的方式來處理它們，

in your everyday life.

在日常中都能做到。

Second, once you find the warning signals in your anxiety,

第二，一旦你找到了 你焦慮中的警告訊號，

you'll be able to communicate with others.

你就能夠和他人溝通，

You might seek out advice from a trusted colleague

在棘手的問題出現時，你可以

when that difficult issue arises.

向你信任的同事尋求建議，

Or you might even have a conversation with your boss

或者，你甚至可以和你的老闆談談

about how to prioritize projects.

如何安排各專案計畫的優先順序。

Because you're no longer in fight-or-flight mode,

因為你不再處於「戰或逃」模式，

asking for that support won't feel nearly as threatening.

索求那些支持也完全不會 讓你有被威脅的感覺。

And one of the best gifts of approaching your anxiety in this way

用這種方式來對付焦慮， 會帶來的好處之一

is that you will be able to notice those telltale signs of anxiety

就是你將可以注意到你身邊的人

in everyone else around you,

有焦慮的徵兆，

especially those forms of anxiety you're most familiar with.

特別是你最熟悉的那些焦慮形式。

And what will that do?

那有什麼用？

That will allow you to give that person a smile or a kind word

那會讓你能夠給對方 一個笑容或說句好話，

to help them through that moment.

協助他們度過那個時刻。

In other words,

換言之，你自己的焦慮形式

your own form of anxiety can boost your personal super power of empathy.

可以提升你個人的同理超能力。

And I can't think of anything we need in this world today

我認為在現今的世界我們最需要的

more than higher levels of empathy for one another.

就是對彼此有更多的同理心。

Your take-home in all of this?

從這一切中能學到什麼？

If you breathe,

如果你呼吸、動一動，

move and take note of what your anxiety is signaling,

並記下你的焦慮帶來什麼訊息，

you'll feel more fulfilled,

你會感覺更滿足、

more creative, more connected

更有創意、更有連結，

and less stressed overall.

整體的壓力也少多了。

And that's my wish for every one of us.

我希望大家都能如此。